Chapter 334

Killing them all is the worst strategy.

Besides, Zhuge Liang has received news that Ying Su is coming back soon!

On the other side, Cheng Ze returned home and told Cheng Cheng Xionglin about Zhuge Liang’s request.

The father and son conferred and prepared to make the act more convincing, so they invited Ji Lin over.

"Ji Lin, do you know that if we go to contact those nobles, once the matter is exposed, our Cheng family will be finished!" Cheng Cheng Xionglin said with a sorrowful face.

"Lord Feng said that after the matter is accomplished, he will definitely not forget the benefits for your family!" Ji Lin said hurriedly.

"Did Lord Feng mention what benefits?" Cheng Cheng Xionglin asked.

"This..." Ji Lin was put in a difficult position.

When he came, Feng Feng Qiji hadn't mentioned any benefits at all.

Just now, it was merely something he had said off the cuff.

"We are going to contact the nobles to raise an army and rebel; this is a matter that costs heads!"

"Having taken such a huge risk, it won't do if we only get a 'thank you' in the end!" Cheng Ze said from the side.

"Ze'er, you are not allowed to be so rude! Lord Feng is our relative; although we don't share the same surname, the glory of the Feng family is the glory of our Cheng family!"

"Now that Lord Feng is in trouble, how can we ignore it?"

Cheng Cheng Xionglin glared at Cheng Ze.

"Father, the Emperor does not send hungry soldiers. Even if we don't want benefits, what about the others? We are Lord Feng’s relatives and can take risks for him, but other nobles won't think like that!"

"If they wanted to raise an army, they would have already followed Wei Pao and the others; those remaining now are all hesitant."

"Without big benefits, how are we supposed to persuade them?"

Cheng Ze said.

Cheng Cheng Xionglin deliberately frowned, then looked at Ji Lin: "My son’s words also make sense. If there isn't a clear explanation, how can we persuade other nobles?"

"Lord Feng was in a hurry when he sent me out, so he forgot to mention some details. I think Lord Feng, as well as General Meng and several young masters, will not forget your Cheng family!"

The steward said.

"We believe it, but others won't," Cheng Cheng Xionglin said.

"How about this: first promise them some benefits, and then I will immediately go back to report to Lord Feng and make the benefits for everyone concrete. How does that sound?" Ji Lin said.

Cheng Cheng Xionglin thought for a moment, then said: "In that case, I will first tell them that when the matter is accomplished in the future, rewards will be given based on merit, and the smallest reward will at least be an official position in the imperial court. What do you think of that?"

"This method is good!" Ji Lin said. "I will immediately send someone back to explain to Lord Feng, and please go and contact others immediately."

"You send someone back? Didn't you come alone?" Cheng Cheng Xionglin said indifferently.

"There are a few people traveling with me; to avoid attracting the attention of the government, they are hiding elsewhere and haven't shown themselves," Ji Lin said.

"Hmm, it should be more cautious," Cheng Cheng Xionglin nodded. "Ze'er, go and prepare immediately. I will write a letter, and you take my letter along with Lord Feng’s letter to the Lin family in Dongjun first. You must test their attitude before revealing the truth. If they have no intention of rebelling, don't say anything; be careful they don't sell us out!"

"Child understands," Cheng Ze nodded. "The Lin family in Dongjun shouldn't be much of a problem; they have a marriage alliance with our Cheng family, so speaking of it, they are relatives."

"Even so, it is better to be careful," Cheng Cheng Xionglin said.

"I will be careful," Cheng Ze said.

"By the way, go with Ji Lin and say that Ji Lin is a member of our Cheng family," Cheng Cheng Xionglin glanced at Ji Lin.

The reason he said this was to show that he was sincerely willing to work for Feng Feng Qiji.

Bringing Ji Lin along would allow Ji Lin to see the entire process of Cheng Ze persuading others with his own eyes.

If he didn't mention it, Ji Lin would have some suspicions.

But with him saying this, Ji Lin was completely reassured about the Cheng family.

"I won't go; someone from the Lin family has met me before, and if I go, I might be recognized," Ji Lin said hurriedly.

"Then next time when we go to other nobles, I will bring you along. If you and Ze'er go together to persuade them, the effect will be better!" Cheng Cheng Xionglin indicated.

"We'll see then," Ji Lin nodded.

The Cheng father and son acted very convincingly in front of Ji Lin, leaving Ji Lin with absolutely no suspicion toward them.

Just like that, Cheng Ze put on a show and made a trip to the Lin family in Dongjun.

Upon arriving at the Lin family and stating what Feng Feng Qiji had requested, the head of the Lin family immediately changed his expression.

"Cheng Ze, aren't you putting me on a fire to roast?" Lin Zhensheng said with a bitter face. "The situation is so tense now; if one thing goes wrong, our whole family will die! You don't understand this matter, but can't your father understand it?"

"I have no choice either; who told Lord Feng to be our relative," Cheng Ze said. "If I didn't come to find you, I wouldn't be able to answer to Lord Feng."

"Now you can answer, but our Lin family is going to be finished in your hands!" Lin Zhensheng said unhappily.

"Uncle, if you don't want to participate, please don't reveal this matter; just pretend I never came, how about that?" Cheng Ze said.

"Go back and tell your father that it's not that I don't want to help Lord Feng, but that my ability is limited and I can't help," Lin Zhensheng said.

"I understand, then I will go back first," Cheng Ze said as he stood up.

After leaving the Lin family, Cheng Ze immediately headed to another wealthy household.

186. All Watching and Waiting

When Cheng Ze arrived at the other household, he did not directly mention the matter of raising an army.

This family was different from the Lin family; they had no connection to the Cheng family.

Unlike the Lin family, which had a close relationship with the Cheng family and wouldn't report them even if they didn't agree to raise an army.

But others might not be the same.

Let alone these people, didn't the Cheng family themselves report Feng Feng Qiji?

So Cheng Ze just chatted casually with the other party and then tested their views on the nobles causing trouble.

Seeing that the other party appeared quite cautious, Cheng Ze stopped saying anything and chose to stand up and take his leave.

He did this entirely for the sake of Feng Feng Qiji and his people.

Just when he was heading to the Lin family, he had already discovered that he was being followed.

Furthermore, that old fox Feng Feng Qiji might also have planted secret agents in some large families.

So Cheng Ze had to be very cautious and appear as if he were truly going to persuade other nobles for Feng Feng Qiji.

Ten days later, Cheng Ze had not made any progress.

Most nobles held a wait-and-see attitude.

They neither wanted to offend the new Emperor nor did they want to offend Feng Feng Qiji, Wei Pao, and the others.

There were also a few nobles who expressed a willingness to raise an army, but they had one condition: they would only take action after other nobles had raised their armies.

This result also reached Feng Feng Qiji’s ears.

He was not surprised by this.

Those who were determined to fight the new Emperor to the end had already joined their ranks.

Those who had not participated were all wavering in their resolve.

And within the noble armies, turmoil had also begun to stir.

Needless to say, the soldiers at the bottom had long since stopped wanting to fight this war.

And the resolve of some in the middle and upper levels had also wavered.

Now, they no longer had confidence in achieving victory.

The artillery and Li Li Yuanba on Ying Su’s side were obstacles they could not overcome.

And besides these two things, Su also had great generals like Li Xin, Wang Li, and Fu Hao.

And all the resources of Great Qin.

As long as Ying Su was willing, he could mobilize troops from other places.

By then, whether in terms of command ability, weapons, or numbers, Ying Su’s side would far exceed them.

In reality, there were only two paths before them: one was to find another way out and then first get rid of the government troops.

The second was to sneak away.

For some middle and lower-level generals, if they surrendered to the government, there might still be a possibility of survival.

However, sneaking away was not easy; if discovered, it would be a dead end.

Therefore, up to now, no one had snuck away.

On the other side, outside Xianyang City, a troop of people and horses slowly approached.

The dozen or so tall horses in the front were ridden by knights holding the flags of Great Qin.

"The Emperor has returned!"

The soldiers guarding the city saw them from afar and immediately cheered.

Before long, the city gates were thrown wide open.